Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

This is my third time posting this recipe, so I'll make it worth your while! First off, this recipe is originally for the slow cooker, so if you do not have a pressure cooker then check out the original link at the bottom of this post for how to make this in your crockpot, and then go buy an Instant Pot 😉... Now since I have always just made this recipe in my Instant Pot, and this is one of my staple and go-to meal prep recipes, I decided to make a more detailed blog post about what I actually do every other week. I also wanted to show everyone how incredibly simple it is to make one of my favorite recipes, use the Instant Pot, and log the recipe in MyFitnessPal, so I made a quick little video compilation of the steps. If you find it helpful at all please let me know and I will make more!

​About this recipe though... I wrote in parenthesis below, but I will typically increase the chicken amount to anywhere between 6-7 lbs since I am meal prepping for 3 people, and I love having extra for dinner when needed. If you don't need that much chicken though, just use the suggested 2.5-3 lbs as the recipe calls for below. No need to adjust anything else, although sometimes since I have so much chicken I'll increase the oil and spices some. This is a low fat and carb chicken recipe, so it definitely needs to be paired with a carb and vegetable of your choice, which you can then load with more fat according to your goals. I typically bake sweet potatoes to go with this buffalo chicken, and will roast some broccoli with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and salt to complete the meal. If you need even more fat, I suggest increasing the coconut oil in the buffalo chicken, throwing some ghee or nut butter on your sweet potato, definitely using EVOO (or bacon fat 🥓) to saute or roast your vegetable of choice in, or top everything with a fried egg or two. The options are endless! This meal is typically what I eat before I head to the gym, so it's higher protein and carb, and low fat. If all this macro talk is going over your head though, don't pay any attention to it. The point of this post is to show how incredibly easy bulk making something delicious for your lunches all week is. That knocks out one meal on track everyday! If you are looking for more specific guidance then check out the nutrition coaching tab and send me a message!

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 2.5 - 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use closer to 6 lbs)
• 1 bottle hot sauce (I used PaleoChef Wing Sauce, or you can simply use Frank's RedHot Original as well!)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 6 sweet potatoes (or however many you need)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water to create a slurry*
• Chopped green onions, for serving

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
2. Place coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave until the coconut oil is melted (about 45 seconds), then stir until smooth.
3. Mix the the hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne in with the coconut oil.
4. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the Instant Pot, place the vent to “sealing” position, and set it on manual for 25 minutes.
5. While the chicken is cooking you can bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the size of your sweet potato. (I always buy large ones, so they can take me anywhere between an hour to an hour and a half to bake.)
6. When the chicken is finished cooking, you can either use the natural or quick stream release method. Shred the chicken inside the pot (it easily shreds when I press down on the chicken with my wooden spatula).
7. Once the chicken is shredded and while the sweet potatoes are baking, mix the arrowroot starch and 1 tablespoon water together to create a slurry.* Add it to the liquid in the Instant Pot, and mix around to combine. Put the Instant Pot on "Saute" mode and continue to mix the chicken around every so often until sauce thickens and reduces.
8. Split open the sweet potatoes, then top with the Buffalo chicken, and green onions. Enjoy!

Notes:
*You don't absolutely need the arrowroot starch - it just helps thicken the sauce some. If you do not use it, you can still put the cooked chicken on "Saute" mode in your Instant Pot to thicken the sauce. It usually takes me around 10 minutes when I don't use the arrowroot starch.

Original recipe found here